Happu Nouen is located in Inabe City in the northern part of Mie Prefecture. Located at the foot of Mt. Fujiwara, which is known as one of the 100 most famous mountains for its flowers, it is a peaceful place with lush green scenery. It takes about one hour from Nagoya City by train and less than one hour by car.

* Information at the time of coverage in September 2022.

The owner of Happu Nouen is Fu Terazono, a Nagoya native who moved to Inabe city in 2013. (Hereinafter referred to as Fu-san) He is a full-time farmer who grows vegetables organically, and is also active as the president of the Matsukaze Company.

The reason he chose Inabe City was because II found a field in Inabe where I could do my farming.'' "I just want to farm! That's all I wanted to do!" he answered with a refreshing smile. This time, we will introduce the secret behind Happu Nouen 's deliciousness, how Fu-san first encountered agriculture, and his thoughts on it.

The theme of Happu Nouen is
"Maintaining a table for everyone"

Happu Nouen is based in three locations in Inabe City, and the total area is approximately 5 hectares. Apparently, they are renting unused fields for free from local people who were farmers in the past in exchange for managing them.

Refrigerator at Happu Nouen. It's like a secret base! I was so excited.

Vegetables harvested in winter are stored in this refrigerator. Temperature settings for vegetables are written.

There are also chickens at Happu Nouen! During the interview, you can hear their cries and the atmosphere is peaceful.

The theme of Happu Nouen is "setting a table for everyone." They grow about 80 types of vegetables, and the best times to harvest them are summer and winter. In addition to vegetables, you can also have eggs and meat. At Happu Nouen, they raise chickens, and the freshly laid eggs can decorate your dining table! In fact, I even saw a customer ask, "Aren't chickens laying eggs today?'' and Fu-san went to collect the eggs.

-I was surprised to see chickens!

Fu-san: “There are about 60 to 70 chickens here. You can have fresh eggs, and sometimes female and male chickens that have stopped laying eggs are eaten as meat. We barbecue them when we are open farm, or have them made into a terrine by a Nord (*) chef.”

-So vegetables aren't the only things on the table!

Fu-san: "Yes, but we don't have any cows right now, so we can't buy butter yet. We need a lot of land to raise cows."

This is the moment when we could catch a glimpse of Fu-san's seriousness in raising everything with a smile in the clear air and the scent of greenery. I could understand the meaning of the concept of "having everyone's table together" because we can have not only vegetables but also miso, sake, meat, etc.

*Nord: An affiliated store of Matsukaze Company. A restaurant where you can enjoy French cuisine using vegetables grown at Happu Nouen

[Inabe city] Enjoy Locally Grown Seasonal Vegetables and Carefully Selected Ingredients at French Restaurant "nord"

"nord" opened in October 2020 in Inabe City, Mie Prefecture. This is a restaurant where you can enjoy casual French cuisine, mainly using pesticide-free vegetables and locally produced ingredients. ``nord'' is produced by ` Happu Nouen'', which grows pesticide-free vegetables using natural farming methods, and on holidays...

2021.07.26

https://life-designs.jp

"I want to do farming!"
What was the thought that moved Fu-san?

Playing in nature is a given! Boyhood influenced by TV programs

-What made you want to farm? I wonder when that idea started.

Fu-san: “My interest in farming may have been sparked by my childhood pastimes. I went skiing, mountain climbing, camping, and fishing with my family. Anyway, I had a lot of experiences playing in nature. I also got a lot of information from TV! For example, documentaries about animals or programs about environmental issues. When I saw the program 'The Earth is Breaking Down' I thought, 'That's no good!' I honestly felt strongly about it.

When I was a junior high school student, I saw the TV program "DASH Village", and when I saw people making various things and living without waste, I was like 'I wanted to live like this'! The feeling was growing. That's why I chose an agricultural high school as my career path. ”

At the age of 18, his parents gave him 2 million yen. The first step towards independence is a trip to Asia!

-Did you decide to become a farmer after graduating from an agricultural high school?

Fu-san: "In fact, my family had a promise to my parents that I should leave home after graduating from high school and live as I wished. My parents gave me 2 million yen when I graduated. You can go on to higher education or get a job. The rule was that I should go out on my own and be independent."

-Eh! ? That's interesting!

Fu-san: "At first, I thought about joining the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers, but I didn't meet the requirements. But I wanted to travel abroad. An acquaintance recommended India and Tibet, so I went there, and I fell in love(laughs). After that, while traveling around Asia, I met many things that I thought were delicious. After the trip, I wanted to start working! I was determined that if I was going to do it, it would be farming. I was determined that farming was the way to go."

-So your travels strengthened your determination to start farming as a job.

Fu-san: “My name (Fu: 風, wind in Japanese) was given to me by my parents in the sense that I will blow the wind in Asia. That's why I thought it would be great if I could use my expertise to contribute to Asia. But if what I wanted to do spread like a typhoon wind and spread far and wide, and spread to Asia, that would be fine! That's what I thought."

An old farmer who lives in Matsuzaka City that I met after returning to Japan

Fu-san's important work tools are all packed in a light truck.

After returning to Japan, Fu-san meets an old man who is a farmer in Matsusaka City. He lived with him for about five years, learning about agriculture for half of the week, and working at a cafe in Nagoya for the other half. Utilizing the farming methods learned from that grandfather is the origin of today's Happu Nouen.

What is the natural farming method advocated by Happu Nouen?
The secret to deliciousness is "grass compost"

A farm where everything is growing lively. Finding veggies can be fun!

Happu Nouen uses "natural-kind-of farming methods" to grow their crops. However, when I searched the internet, I couldn't find any information about this farming method. We asked Mr. Kaze to find out the secret behind why people choose the vegetables he grows.

-What kind of farming method is natural-kind-of farming?

Fu-san: “Actually, Mr. Takasugi, who makes the Matsukaze Company website, came up with the name Natural-kind-of Farming."

- That's why it's not listed even if you look it up (laughs).

Fu-san: "Yes, that's right. There are organic farmers who use no pesticides but give compost. But the farmer I met was very close to natural farming, and he did everything by hand, including mowing. He didn't even use fertilizer. He just put the grass he cut on the rows and used it as fertilizer. But the vegetables tasted so good! They have a bounce to them on the tongue, and you feel like you are eating fresh cells! They taste so much better just by not fertilizing them! I learned the simple mechanism of how it works. But the truth is that it is indeed a bit hard to cut the grass by hand (laughs). So, in my case, I use a machine to cut the grass, but I don't use fertilizer. I call it 'natural-kind-of' farming."

The place where Happu Nouen 's seedlings are grown. It will grow vigorously with regular watering.

Grass compost is also used when growing seedlings. It is said that normal seedling soil is applied so that weeds do not grow.

-Is the farming method the key to the deliciousness of your vegetables?

Fu-san:"Do you often see contractors cutting grass along river banks and roads? The grass they cut is treated as industrial waste in the neighboring town, Komono-cho, and then crushed into chips, which they deliver to my farm. If the grass chips are left for about two years, they turn into a humus-like soil, which I call 'grass compost'. When I use grass compost, vegetables grow well, and the organic matter circulates to some extent, creating a nice field! Once that happens, I don't fertilize anymore and continue to grow vegetables in that condition year after year."

"Open Farm"
An event where you can feel the blessings of Inabe with your five senses!

"Open Farm" is also held irregularly at Happu Nouen. This is an event where you can actually hear from Fu-san about how the vegetables you eat every day are grown and the thoughts behind them. When I visited this time, I was able to eat raw vegetables that were freshly harvested and vegetables that I had never seen before!

Shikaku-mame (Winged beans)

Their flower color is light blue

This versatile vegetables that can be used for anything, such as salads and stir-fries! It is so popular that there are repeaters.

Tsurumurasaki (Malabar spinach)

It is sticky and sweet. Vegetables have an image of an earthy smell, but Fu-san's Tsurumurasaki has no earthy smell and is characterized by its juiciness!

thai basil

It has a soft sweet scent. If you're going to make gapao rice, it's the best if you put a lot in it!

bitter gourd (Goya)

Even in September it was still growing nicely.

I tried eating it raw like Fu-san! I just hit a bitter bitter one (laughs).

Remove the cotton and crunch the bitter gourd seeds as well. The texture is very crispy. If you sprinkle salt on it, it will go well with beer.

Where can I buy vegetables from Happu Nouen?

Happu Nouen 's vegetables can be purchased mainly in Nagoya City and Mie Prefecture.

・Matsukaze Company affiliated stores
Kamiki Shokudo
https://matsukazecompany.com/ageki
nord
https://matsukazecompany.com/nord
Freibecker Saya
https://matsukazecompany.com/saya
Iwata Shoten
https://iwata-syouten.stores.jp/

 

・Nabayashi Yoichi
http://natsu1yoichi.blog133.fc2.com/
https://www.instagram.com/nayabashi41/?hl=ja

 

・ Tonarino Marche

In addition, Fu-san's acquaintance "Ame nimo Makezu" sells them at Aeon Malls (Kuwana, Yokkaichi, Tsunan) in Mie Prefecture.
http://amenimomakezu.shop/index.html

Fu-san is one of the people who is bringing a new breeze to Inabe City as the president of the "Matsukaze Company,'' which is based on Happu Nouen. As a company, they aim to create a "compact society'' where people can think and take care of themselves. It is an image of each person living independently while all working together.

I feel that the day is not far off when Japan can blow the wind to Asia while playing a pioneering role in creating a "compact society." Why don't you feel that feeling together while tasting the vegetables that you can feel the blessings of Inabe?